It was very much a case of "plus ça change, mais plus c'est la même chose" at this year's Royal Windsor Horse Show… Regular visitors (many of whom have virtually become 'part of the furniture' in the members' enclosure) were unanimous in their delight at finding their favourite horse show back where it belongs, nestling in the shadow of Windsor Castle. The Castle had been little more than a spectre in the distance when the show rings had been moved alongside the river and the show had without doubt lost some of its glamour in the process.

A young competitor performing his 'show' for the judge in the spacious new rings

All the more reason to congratulate the Show organisers for having the courage to move back to the original siting. One of the crucial decisions that made this a success was to revert to a 5 day programme instead of the 4 days which had led to serious car parking problems. Thus the Show resumed a rather more leisurely pace over the first three days, which was most welcome since it allowed for more time to socialise, browse around the excellent trade stands and to actually watch more the classes!

Whilst the four show rings were apparently back in their original positions, they looked quite different. In fact all were larger than before, giving horses plenty of room to really extend in their faster paces. This, combined with re-arrangement of the trade stands and the food stalls (ideally situated among the trees) created a wonderful, open, spacious feeling, which again was much commented upon and appreciated. Now that the 'perfect formula' has been achieved let us hope that it will be retained and we can just concentrate on enjoying the Show instead of trying to find our way around!

As is usual with Royal Windsor, the weather played a fairly major role in the proceedings (it is, after all, 'traditional'!) and over the first couple of days a cool breeze blew and on Thursday in particular it rained rather hard. In a matter of hours all the walkways were converted into a sea of oozing black mud (also traditional…) and by late afternoon sales of green wellies had soared. Many an otherwise elegantly attired person was seen wearing a new pair before they left for the day. By Friday we were sweltering and at last a Pimm's was an appealing prospect. The walkways quickly dried up, as did the rings, and the evening performances were blessed with blissfully perfect conditions so it was a case of 'all's well that ends well'…

Lynn Russell with Apollo - winning the qualifier for the final of the British Isles Championship

One of the innovations at the Show - renowned for the quality of its show classes - was the introduction of the British Isles Championship (sponsored by Horse & Hound) which offered the richest prize in the show ring - £3,000 to the winner. Designed to be a novel class, it invited the winners and placed horses of certain classes at some of the top shows of the previous year (Royal Windsor, the Royal Highland, the Royal Welsh and finally Royal Dublin) to compete for the top prize. It was surprising that not more of the eligible contestants in some sections came forward. The grand final was held on Sunday evening. Qualifying competitions were held on each day with the winners of each section, i.e. Cobs, Hunters, Hacks and Riding Horses, going forward. For example, although this year's Cob Championship was won by Lynn Russell on Bailey's Horse Feeds Heavyweight, Polaris, it was with last year's Lightweight winner, Apollo, that she contested the British Isles Championship.

Ex jump jockey Bill Smith rides Imperial Imp in the qualifying class for the Championship

Although the concept has considerable merit, it is not without its flaws, largely because it is (of necessity) based on the best horses from the previous season. Since a showhorse does not remain at the top of its form for many years, this will mean that some top individuals may well have retired before having the opportunity to contest the British Isles Championship. Distance may also be a deterrent to winners in Ireland and Scotland, for example - despite the very attractive prize money! Nevertheless, it is to be hoped that this is an innovation that will develop and become part of the Show's tradition in the years to come. The final certainly generated tremendous interest and enthusiasm.

Photographs © Sue Wingate

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